Nana's Girls

Mahala 7 months











My Son-in-law posted new pictures this past weekend and I had to share them. The last time we saw the girls was September and they grow so fast. It is hard living so far away, thank heaven for internet pictures so we can watch them grow.






Kasja 23 months












The little lady will turn two in March already! Now this Nana has to figure out what to buy her for her birthday. Any ideas?

Becca's New Hero--Temple Grandlin and Autism's a Gift

Today Becca found this interview with Temple Grandlin a renowned professor who is an inspiration. See her video interview with CNN where she says "Sees her autism as a gift, not a disability".

I posted it here as some of my readers have "extraordinary children with learning differences"
as this was just too inspirational to not share with them and the rest of the world.

Becca giggled as Temple Grandlin talked about the schools dumbing down the geniuses and kids with autism.

We were just back from the Doctor and she showed her Becca's transcripts from High School and
Becca explained her frustration. The schools are handicapping Becca, but I continue to help Becca in spite of them. Becca refuses to let them off the hook as she has a right to a High School Diploma. She told the doctor she wants to go to college, even though they think she can just sit or have a small job someday. She can take college without leaving home because of the noise and light sensitivities triggering migraines if she is given the proper assistive technology.

I hope you enjoyed the interview with Temple Grandlin and Becca's lesson today for school.

Walgreens-FREE 8 x 10 Print

For Today Only Thursday 2/25 Walgreens is offering one FREE 8x10 Print.

Print this coupon here and take your Coupon to any Walgreens Store to get a free 8×10 Photo Print. No purchase is necessary. Limit one per customer.

I think I will have to print off one of Marissa's Wedding Photos!

Becca Cooking the Receipes from Emeril--Culinary Arts Homebound School Class

Becca was watching Emeril share his reciepes with Good Morning America last week. She decided that the next class she wanted to take for Homebound High School is a Culinary Arts Class and she is going to make them!

She has been working on cooking skills for the last year or so and she thinks she is ready for the big stuff.

Today we had her IEP with the school and they will give her credit for cooking class, but we have to document it. My blog is the mechanism. Both our readers and the teachers will get to see Becca's creations. She will be cooking one reciepe per week and all of what she cooks will also be Gluten-free!

Becca spent Thursday night making her shopping list, and finding the receipes on the Good Morning America site. Here are the three Emeril Entrees she wanted to make... Which is an ambitious project for any home chef...but when Becca sets her mind to something she will not give up.

Orange, Cumin and Cilantro Roasted Pork Loin
Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Roasted Shallots
Grilled Sweet Potato Salad

Friday she and I were on a mission to head to the grocery store. We needed many things as I am basic chef, and Becca kicked in a $20 to help pay for "her meal". I paid for the pork loin.















Becca preparing the Cauliflower















I think Becca needs a step stool next time :)















The Grilled Sweet Potato Salad ready for the Oven.















The finished Orange, Cumin and Cilantro Roasted Pork Loin.

I had posted on facebook the ongoing Becca in culinary arts class on facebook with pictures on Saturday. Leah, the occupational therapy student who I had hired to work with Becca posted that she has come a long way.

For my readers who do not know, Becca never ate anything by mouth until she was over 8 years old and then only very small amounts and only the same thing over and over and over again. Never enough to sustain her and making her dependent on night-time feeding pump drips of specialized formulas.

The doctors told us that she will never get rid of her feeding tube, but at l6 Becca proved them wrong. I have enlisted my daughter-in-law Stacey's help in getting Becca to try new things, and now she is finding things for us to try! Flexibility and trying something New is amazing considering her history and her Autism and Noonan syndrome diagnoses.

There were a few things that I had to help with because of her weak hand strength, but even
Emeril gives orders his staff to help with somethings she reminded me. She did what she
could and I had to lift the heavy glass pans into and out of the ovens, slice up the sweet potatoes, but she was in charge and did everything else.

The meal was fantastic and I loved the Grilled Sweet Potatoes the best, but everyone else thought the Orange, Cumin and Cilantro Roasted Pork Loin. We all rated her meal giving her a solid A for her Becca cooks Emeril Saturday Night Meal.

I look forward to what she will cook next. Becca's request for her Easter Basket...Emeril's latest cookbook. This mom is smiling remembering l6 years of trying to get her to eat.

Piggly Wiggly--Oscar Mayer Wieners Deal

Piggly Wiggly has a deal on Oscar Mayer Wieners beginning Wednesday2/24 through Tuesday 3/2. We love Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs as they are Gluten-Free.

Buy 2 for $2.88 and Receive a $2.00 Coupon Good on Your Next Purchase. (Limit 2 Packages).

The girls and I will be heading to Piggly Wiggly and each grabbing 2 packages of Hot Dogs.
I will pay first and pay $2.88 for 2 which in itself is a great deal. I will than pass the $2.00 Catalina coupon to Becca who will than pay $.88 for two after OYNO Catalina and receive another $2.00 OYNO Catalina, then Detamara who will pay $.88 for two packages after OYNO Catalina and we will walk out of Piggly Wiggly with 6 packages for $4.64 and a $2.00 OYNO Catalina.

I will make another round another day with the girls of Oscar Mayer Hot Dog Bargain Shopping. The second day we will each pay $.88 for 2 packages as I will have the $2.00 Catalina to begin yielding $2.64 fo 6 packages using three different shoppers :) We will be stocked up on Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs for backyard swimming parties.

Detamara can you recite the Oscar Mayer Wiener jingle? How about you?

From Unemployed to Dr. James Yurcek Surgeon

Doc (My husband and I still cannot believe it)
See the Patients Testimonial Video and Doc in Action
at Grant Regional Hospital

Twenty years ago last month, my husband lost his job and we were forced into poverty to cover our daughter's hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. She was only six months old and we had a dying baby and no job. Limited by the state to $800 a month to qualify for medicaid and his employer did not want to put our critically ill baby on insurance when open enrollment came around.

I found this picture today on the hospital website and thought I would post it to inspire. Pinch me, I still cannot believe that we went from poverty to my husband being a doctor.

Jim went back to school when Becca was two. Two years of undergraduate coursework to add to his bachelors business degree and four years of Medical School all supported by delivering newspapers in the wee hours of the morning and student loans. He did so carrying an impressive 4.0 GPA. He will admit the first time he went through school all he got out of it was himself.

When he was deciding on which specialty he was going into, I told him he had to go for a short residency (3 years for primary care), but he wanted to be a pathologist (5 years). The day he came home from his first day of his surgical rotation, I knew he was going to be a surgeon. But he argued with me. I told him surgeons have the reputation of being arrogant, and what a waste of talent when he has people skills and has been on the other side of bad news.

In 1997 we left Minnesota and moved to Residency. A 5-year General Surgery Residency with our six biological children and 6 siblings separated in foster care. I tell people "think Grays Anatomy plus a dozen kids". Our lives were more drama than the television show!

Lesson: When life changes, it is just another opportunity around the corner. Sometimes it may seem impossible. But how will you know until you are daring enough to try.

Target--Clearance Shabby Chic Kids Finds (75% off)

I can't hit Target without Perimeter Perusing. I will never know what I will find.

I love Shabby Chic, but I can' jusify the price. (Thank you Kristy for getting me hooked).Finding it on clearance is something that never happens. I had been to Target the week before and these were not there. Someone else's return became my treasure.

Shabby Chic Kids Finds
Two window Panels @ $5.74 ($22.99) = $11.48 Savings $44.50/2
Twin Sheet Set 250 count 100% Cotton $7.48 ($29.99) Savings $22.51
Twin Duvet Set includes Duvet and Sham $17.48 ($69.99) Savings $52.51
Total Paid for Curtain, Duvet and Sham, and Sheet Set $37.44
Saved $119.52

Now I will have to repaint the little girls room (was intended for foster kids and small visitors) in our house to light pink which I had originally wanted. The pink ended up as Doc calls Pepto Bismol Pink which at this point upsets my stomach as it is too Bubble Gum for me. Now at least I have an excuse to change it :) I still have some Buy-One-Get-One Free paint that I can take in to be colored at Blains Farm and Fleet so it will not cost me anything at this point to change it.